Tsubaki, Ryuuzaki, and the California Murder Cases
by Joey Sohma
Summary: Just out of high school, Dani's goal is to work with her idol: L. When she finally gets her chance to work with him, she finds herself stuck in the middle of a case that could cost her her life.


Author's Note: This is THE LONGEST fanfiction I have ever typed up. (not sure about some of the other ones I have in my notebooks). This chapter is 15 pages long in this format, and the entire story is 31 pages, regular format. Just to warn you. I needed something to do over the summer. It's also based around my OC, Dani, so if you don't like reading fanfics with OCs, then I suggest you leave. So here's my story. I'd love to hear critique and reviews on it. Enjoy!

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_THUD!_

The girl sat up and looked around quickly, a shocked look on her face as she tried to figure out where she was. She relaxed as she realized she was in her room, and had simply fallen off her bed. She stood, and untangled herself from the blankets, which she sloppily threw onto her bed. She stumbled into the bathroom to wash up. She stared at herself in the mirror as she brushed her hair.

Dani was a young woman of 18, with shockingly bright blue eyes. Her above shoulder length hair was a similar shade of light blue, except for the bangs, which were slightly longer and darker. She was only 5' 5", a little short for her age, but she made up for her height with the size of her chest.

She made her way back into her room to get dressed. As she was pulling her shirt down, she glanced at the digital clock next to her bed. She froze. "I'M GOING TO MISS IT!" she shouted, and raced out of her room and into the living room. She jumped over the back of the couch, dove across the table, and turned on the TV.

"G-good morning Dani. It's only 10:30; you're up early for your first day of summer vacation," her mother commented, sticking her head out of the kitchen door. Her mother looked very young. She had platinum blond hair like her daughter originally had before she had dyed it, and emerald eyes. She was only slightly taller than her daughter.

"Shh! I'm going to miss this!" Dani hissed, turning up the volume. She sat back on the couch, watching the television intently. It was a news report.

"The long-lasting break of serial kills has finally come to an end, thanks to the amazing skills of the mysterious detective known as L. The killer has been caught and will be put on trial today."

Dani switched off the TV. She pressed herself back against the couch, a light pink color rising to her cheeks. "Oh, L is so incredible!" she squealed, blushing. She started to laugh.

"How can you like someone you don't even know?" came a snide remark behind her.

She whipped around. "Hikaru! No one asked for your opinion!" she growled.

He smirked. He had blond hair like his mother and sister, except it was darker, with brown lowlights. He shared his mothers green eyes. Hikaru jumped over the couch and sat next to his sister. "Honestly, the way you go on about him! You don't even know his name, and you think you're in love with him!"

She turned beet red. "I-I'm not in love with him!" she choked, putting a pillow up to her face. "I-I'm just impressed, that's all."

"Oh, impressed, is that it?" He snickered. "Sure you are."

"I'll impress you right upside your head!" she shouted, hitting the back of his head. The two began to wrestle on the couch.

Their mother entered, and laughed. "Are you at it again? Hikaru, leave your sister's interest in L alone, and come eat breakfast."

Dani, who was sitting on top of her brother, jumped up. "OKAY!" She raced to the table, and sat into her chair, nearly knocking it over. Breakfast was her favorite meal; she could eat sugarcoated fruit and it would count as a meal. Dani had an odd obsession with sugarcoated fruit. She filled a bowl with strawberries, pineapples and grapes, then covered them entirely with sugar. Then she began to eat.

Hikaru sat down next to her. He watched her eat. "You know, you're gonna get fat. Oh wait, it all goes to your boobs."

"HIKARU!" she snapped, waving her fork at him. "Quit it!"

Their mother sat down across from Hikaru. "Hikaru, don't talk about boobs at the table."

"Sorry," he grumbled, putting a stack of pancakes on his plate. He drowned them in syrup before eating.

Dani glanced at her brother. "You're gonna get cavities if you keep that up," she commented, taking another bite of her fruit. Once she finished, she stood, and slammed her hands on the table. "OK! Today's the day!"

Her mother stopped eating to look at her. "The day for what?" she asked.

"Today's the day I become L's apprentice!"

Hikaru burst out laughing. "Good luck with that! He never shows his face! It'll be easier for you to win the lottery!"

She kicked him under the table. "Shut up! Mom!" She ran to the door, and pulled on her shoes. "I'm going out! I'll be back later! Bye!" She slammed the door behind her.

Hikaru stopped laughing, and looked from the door to his mother. "Sh-she was serious." There was silence. "Pass the syrup?"

Dani began her search for L in the place where she spent most of her time; police headquarters. She would usual go and sneak in to listen to the reports when L would send Watari and his computer. She would sneak in when the last few people would enter, and hide. However, she would only stay for about five minutes into L's report before she got kicked out. Then they would put guards in front of the door, so she would leave. However, this time, she didn't have to go to the meeting.

As she neared the police headquarters, people were exiting. _I must have missed a meeting_, she thought. One of the last people to exit caught her attention. It was a man in a trench coat and hat, carrying a briefcase. _Watari!_ She had seen him at every meeting, so she memorized what he looked like. A huge grin crossed her face. _This is my chance! I just gotta follow him, and he'll lead me to L!_ She looked around to make sure they weren't alone, and blended in with the crowd, and began to follow him.

The first place they stopped at was a bakery. Dani stood outside, looking in the windows. She must have been waiting at least an hour before Watari came out carrying three large bags full of boxes of sweets. She looked almost horrified. _Did he buy out the whole store?!_ She quickly shook her head, and continued following him. This time he went to a hotel. She followed him in, carefully sneaking past the reception counter, and to the glass elevators. She hid behind a chair in the lobby to see through the glass without being seen. _The top floor, eh?_ She quickly ran to the elevators, and called one down. She entered, and hit the button for the top floor. She exited the elevator and saw him turn a corner. She continued following him, and stopped at another turn. She watched from there, and saw him enter the room all the way at the end. _Ok. Now, how to get in…_

"Can I like, help you?"

She turned to see a maid standing behind her. She looked to be about Dani's age, maybe a little older. The same size too. _There we go!_ She dug through her pocket. "Hey, I'll give you five bucks for the outfit and your key card," she bribed.

"Sure!" She pulled off the maids' outfit to reveal another outfit underneath. She handed the dress and the key card to Dani.

"Thanks." Dani handed her the five bucks, and pulled the maids' dress on over her own clothes. Then she sprinted to the room she saw Watari enter, and unlocked it. She entered. "I FOUND YOU, L!" she shouted.

Watari was playing chess in the main room with a young man not much older than Dani. The younger one looked up. "Can I help you?"

She froze. "Who…are you?"

"I'm who you say I am. I am L," he answered calmly, looking innocently at her from his seat on the couch.

She took a step back. "B-But you can't be much older than me? How old are you?"

He tilted his head to one side. "I'm…23…why do you ask?"

She closed her eyes. _If he really is L, he's only five years older than me! I can't believe we're close in age!_ She felt warm and bubbly. "L! I want you to make me your apprentice!" she shouted.

He thought for a minute. "Don't you work as a maid though?"

"Huh?" She looked down at her outfit. "Oh! No, I bribed…I mean…uh, no I don't." She looked at him. "I just borrowed this outfit from a, uh, friend."

He nodded, and bit his thumb. "…Alright then."

Her eyes lit up. "Really?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Did you know that uniform makes you look very cute?"

"EH?!" She blushed.

He gave a soft smile. "Yes. So, what's your name?"

She was quiet. She should have introduced herself before she asked to be his apprentice. "My name is Dani," she said slowly and quietly. "It's very nice to meet you."

"My name is L, and this is my partner, Watari." He looked back at Watari, who smiled kindly at Dani. He stood, and shook her hand. "Welcome to our team."

"You serious?! I'm actually working with the famous detective L! I can't believe it." She looked up at him, her eyes bright. "This has always been my dream! Haha!"

L smiled. "Good to hear that." He walked back to the chessboard, and moved one of his pieces. "Checkmate."

Watari studied the move. "Indeed. You win again. I'll go get us something to eat." He stood, and headed into the kitchen.

L looked up at Dani, sitting on the couch again. "Would you care to play?" he offered, motioning to the chessboard. He began to set up the pieces.

"Sure!" She knelt on the other side of the table. "What color are you going to be?"

"I'll play white, and you can play blue. You can go first." He turned the board so that the blue crystal pieces were in front of her. He smiled, and picked up a cookie.

She stared intently at the board. She moved her pawn forward, then sat silently. The two played, evenly matched, until Dani moved her only bishop left. "Checkmate, L." She looked up, grinning wildly.

L looked at the pieces. "You're right." His gaze traveled from his defeated piece to her excited face. "Good job. You're pretty good at this game."

She blushed furiously. "N-No, not really. I don't play very much," she insisted, looking away.

"Then you have a great mind. You're going to be a great person to work with."

Her face went from pink to red in a split second. "Th-thank you so much!"

He gave a short, awkward laugh. "You're too cute," he told her.

Dani's head spun. She felt like she was going to faint. "N-no, no I'm not!" She leaned back against the chair behind her, and closed her eyes. She heard L move from his spot on the couch. She took a few deep breaths and opened her eyes. She screamed.

"You're an odd one," L commented, leaning over her from the chair behind her. He studied her red face upside down, a thoughtful expression on his face. "You're also very loud," he noted.

She looked down at her hands, refusing to look at him at all. "Sorry about that."

Watari walked back into the room. "I hope this is ok. It is all we have, besides cookies." He smiled warmly, and set a plate of riceballs on the table. He sat down at the table in front of the laptop, and began to type.

"Thank you, Watari," L said, pushing the plate towards Dani. "Have some," he told her. He had the innocent look on his face again.

She couldn't refuse. "O-Ok." She bit into one. "These are very good! Thanks, Watari!" she called, eating a second one.

He smiled again. "It's no problem. I'm glad you like them."

Dani grinned, and looked up at L. "Aren't you going to eat any?" she asked, holding one out to him.

He shook his head. "No, I'm alright." He smiled reassuringly. "You may have them all. Unless Watari wants some…" he trailed off and looked at Watari.

"I'm ok. You may have them," he answered, returning to his typing.

"Oh! Thank you again." She finished the rice in silence. When she was done, she sat back, and looked up at L. "So…" she began. "I guess we should get to know each other if we're going to work together huh?"

"That sounds good."

"Ok. Well…what do you like to do?" she asked awkwardly. Her voice seemed to crack a bit as she spoke.

He thought for a moment, examining a donut before stuffing it in his mouth. "I like sugar. And solving police cases," he answered simply. "Would you like to take a walk?" he asked.

She nodded, and stood quickly. "Ok." She exited the room with L. "Aren't you going to put on shoes?" she asked, noticing his bare feet.

He shook his head. "I don't like shoes." His voice was flat. "But I suppose I'll put some on." He slipped into a pair of untied sneakers. "Aren't you going to return the dress and key?"

"Yeah, I guess I should…" When they turned the corner to go to the elevators, they saw the maid Dani had bribed before. "Hey! Here." She pulled off the dress, and handed it and the key back to the maid. "Thanks."

She giggled. "Like, no problem!" She walked away.

The two boarded the elevator. Dani looked out the glass part as they descended to the lobby.

"We're going to have to get you a room key," L said thoughtfully. "That way you can come to our room when you please, and you don't need to steal from any more maids." There was a joking tone in his voice.

She turned, frowning. "I wouldn't have had to if you would show yourself," she told him.

"Hm. In public, I'd like you to call me Ryuuzaki. Is there a name you would like me to call you?" he asked.

_I can think of a few,_ she said silently. She looked up as she thought. "It doesn't really matter. Dani would be nice though," Dani answered.

"Then I'll call you Tsubaki." His expression gave no sign of him joking. The elevator came to a stop, and he stepped out, waiting for her. "Are you coming, Tsubaki?" he asked.

She let out an exasperated sigh, and followed him to the reception desk. "How I get stuck with the name Tsubaki is beyond me," she mumbled, standing behind him.

L looked up at the woman behind the counter. "I'm going to need another room key for from 2424," he told her.

"Of course." She pulled out a room key, and registered it for his room. "Here you are!" She handed him the key with a smile. He thanked her, and they left.

Dani kept pace next to him. "It's nice out today," she commented, looking up at the clear sky.

L nodded. "Yes, it is. I should get to know you, shouldn't I? I don't want you to end up being a murderer." His expression was once again serious.

She giggled. "I'm not a murderer. I've never killed anything in my life. Well, maybe a few bugs, but that's all! Um. Well, what would you like to know about me?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Anything. If you talk, I'll listen."

"O-ok…" She nodded, trying to think of what she could say. "Well, let's see, I like sugarcoated fruit, especially strawberries and pineapples. My dream in life is to a famous detective just like you!" She blushed slightly as she said it. A look of shock crossed his face. "Has no one told you that before?"

He shook his head. "Never."

"Oh, well, then I feel special being the first person." She grinned. "Um. I live with my mother and little brother. My father passed away when I was very young."

"I'm sorry to hear that." L looked down.

"No, it's ok." There was an awkward silence.

L broke the silence. "Tsubaki, how old are you?" he asked.

"I'm 18," she answered.

"Then you're in your last year of high school?"

She shook her head. "No, I just recently graduated. Top of my class too." Her voice was full of pride. She quickly blushed. "I'm sorry, I talk too much!"

"It's ok. I enjoying listening to you talk. You have a very pretty voice." He smiled softly.

She turned red, and looked away. "Th-thank you." There was silence, until Dani suddenly shouted, "Kitties!" She ran to the window of the pet shop they were passing. She giggled, watching the cats play. "They got kitties!"

L peered over her shoulder. "Do you like cats, Tsubaki?" he asked.

She flinched, a bit surprised from his sudden appearance. "Yes, I do. They're so adorable! I love watching them chase things. I like dogs too. Well, all fuzzy animals, actually." She laughed again. "Hey, that one looks like you!" She pointed to one of the kittens. It was all white, except for its ears and two patches under its eyes. The fur on the top of his head was messy and stuck up at odd angles. He was play fighting with a light yellow kitten. "My hair used to be the color of her fur," she commented.

"Hey, Dani!" A boy stuck his head out of the door of the shop. He looked around Dani's age, if not older. His hair was light brown and messy, and his eyes were hazel. "Are you coming in today?" he asked.

"Hi Nick! Yeah, I'm coming in, but I'll probably come in later," she answered. "When did you get the kittens?"

He thought for a minute. "About a week ago. But you were busy with finals and graduation, so you didn't come in. Who's your friend?" He seemed to notice L for the first time.

L turned, looking confused. "Me?" When Nick nodded, he answered, "My name is Ryuuzaki." He introduced himself quickly.

Nick paused, trying to understand what L had said. "Oh! It's nice to meet you, Ryuuzaki. I'm Nick." He turned his attention to Dani. "Then I guess I'll see you later then!" He waved before closing the door.

L looked at Dani, a bit confused. "Do you work for him?" he asked slowly.

She shook her head. "No. Well, not really. I usually come in after school and help out. I like to play with the animals. It's fun." She smiled.

"Do you have stuffed animals at home?"

She blinked. "An odd question, but yeah. My bed is covered in them. I have this one stuffed black cat that I always sleep with." She froze, realizing what she just said. "Boy that was embarrassing," she muttered under her breath.

He seemed to smirk when she mentioned the black cat, but if he did, the expression was gone. "I used to know a girl when I was younger." He paused, as if for dramatic effect. "She used to carry around a stuffed black cat all the time. It was always stolen from her by two boys."

Dani frowned. "Poor girl. Did she get the cat back?"

He paused before answering. "Yes. I'd always get it back for her."

"You're so kind." She smiled. There was silence again. "We should keep walking; we're blocking the sidewalk."

"Oh. Right." His voice sounded sad, but Dani didn't seem to notice. They continued to walk in silence. "You mentioned your family before. Tell me about them."

"Ok." Yet another random question, but she decided to talk anyway. "Well, my little brother's name is Hikaru. He's fourteen, and probably the most annoying thing on the planet." She rolled her eyes. "He usually sits around and plays video games all day. That, or he goes to his friend's house to play games. He's on his school's baseball team." She paused before she continued. To her surprise, L seemed interested. "My mother's name is Yui. We're really close. Sometimes she acts more like a sister than a mother to Hikaru and I. We look alike; except her hair is the same blonde color mine used to be. Since it's just the three of us, we're really close. Oh, I'm sorry, I'm rambling again." She blushed, looking down.

"I asked you to talk about your family, so I don't mind you rambling. As I said before, you have a very pretty voice and I like listening to you talk," L explained.

She smiled. "Thank you. You know, you're a really good person to talk to. You never interrupt and you always look so interested in what I have to say. Ah, but I don't know you very well, so I shouldn't be saying anything yet," she said quickly, flustered. "Huh?" She looked up. "This is…my house." She had subconsciously walked to her home.

L looked up at the house. "So, this is where you live?" he asked her, turning to look at her.

She nodded. It was a normal sized house. It had two floors, with a balcony on the side of the second floor, overlooking a beautiful garden. Dani looked at L. "Would you like to go in?"

"Ok," he answered simply. He followed her up the path to the house.

Dani opened the door. "I'm home!" she called.

"Welcome home, Dani!" her mother called from the kitchen. "I didn't think you would be back so soon."

She led L to the kitchen. "I brought a friend." When her mother looked up from the dishes she was washing, she continued. "This is Ryuuzaki."

Yui smiled. "Hello, Ryuuzaki. My name is Yui Hanasaki. Welcome to our home. Please make yourself comfortable. I'd come over to shake your hand, but I'm full of soap." She laughed.

He smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Hanasaki." He turned to Dani. "You two share the same laugh," he noted.

She blushed slightly. "Uh, hey, Mom, is Hikaru here?"

"Yes, he's upstairs in his room."

Dani turned on her heel. "Then that means we're leaving. C'mon, Ryuuzaki, let's go."

He tilted his head to one side. "I'm not going to meet your little brother?"

She shook her head. "Trust me, you don't want to," she told him in a low tone. "Bye Mom! I'll be back by dinner!" She grabbed L's hand, and pulled him after her. She shut the door behind her. "I thought my brother was going to his friend's house today," she mumbled, sitting on the bumper of a silver Volvo.

"Your mother seems very nice. You two seem a lot alike," he told her. He looked at the car. "Is that yours?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah, it's mine. I don't drive much; only when it's raining or I'm in a hurry. I like walking better." Her voice was thoughtful. She looked down at the watch on her wrist. "It's almost lunch time. Want to go out to eat?"

He shrugged. "I suppose. I don't normally go out, so I wouldn't know where to go to eat."

Dani was silent as she thought. "Oh! My mom has some lunches in the refrigerator! I can grab two of those and we can go and eat in the park," she suggested, jumping off the bumper. "Want me to go get them?"

"If you would like."

"Mm!" She smiled, and ran back inside. She returned holding a backpack. "Ok. So, shall we go?" She noticed L still eying the car. "Would you like me to drive?" she asked.

"Yes."

She gave a short sigh. "Ok." She opened the house door, and grabbed her keys from the rack next to the door. They jingled when she unlocked the doors. "Ok, get in." She climbed into the driver's seat, and started the ignition. When the two of them were set, she backed out of the driveway and started towards the park. She rolled down the windows, and rested her elbow on the frame. "Mind if I turn on the radio? I don't really like driving…without…what are you doing?"

L pulled the air freshener off the rearview mirror. "It's a strawberry," he pointed out. "I like strawberries." He smiled. "You may turn the radio on, if you'd like. It _is_ your car."

She laughed. "So do I, that's why I picked it." She pressed the button to turn on the radio. It was set to her favorite station. Hip-hop music filled the car.

L spotted a book under the dashboard, and picked it up. "Twilight." He read the name slowly. "Are you reading this?"

She glanced quickly towards the book, then returned her gaze to the road. "Yeah! I knew I left it somewhere. I've been looking for that, thanks!"

He flipped through the pages, and found her bookmark. She was a little more than three-quarters of the way done. "Is it a good book?"

She nodded, turning onto the road that led to the park. "Yeah, it's great! It's about this girl who is forced to move up to Washington. Then she meets this really hot guy named Edward, and she finds out he's a vampire. It's really good." She parked, and pulled the keys out of the ignition, and stuffed them into her pocket. "Ok, let's go." She grabbed the backpack with the food, and closed the door. She noticed L was still holding her book. "You can leave that on the seat."

He put the book down, and closed the door. He walked in front of the car to stand next to her. "Where shall we sit?"

"Um…." She looked around, and spotted a shady spot under a tree near the river that cut through the middle of the park. "How about over there?" She pointed in the direction of the spot. He nodded. Once they reached the tree, Dani sat down. "I hope you don't mind sitting on the grass; I forgot to grab something to sit on." She looked a bit embarrassed.

"I don't mind." He sat down across from her, and smiled.

She looked away, and began to take out the lunches. "Well," she began. "I bought one lunch box, and one with desserts. I figured we could split them?"

"Ok." He took a frosted vanilla cake slice with a strawberry on it from the dessert box. He took a bite from it. "This is good." He took another forkful, and offered it to her, looking up with his panda-eyes. "Would you like some?"

It took every ounce of self-control to keep her from jumping on him and hugging him to death. Instead, she turned a bright red, and looked down at her hands. "Uh, n-no thanks, that's ok."

"Are you sure? It's really good." He held the fork closer to her.

She stood quickly, and stumbled. "I-I'm sure. I feel a little dizzy. I'm gonna go sit by the river for a minute. Excuse me." She jogged over to the river, and let out a long sigh. _He's just too adorable! I can't stand it!_ she whined inwardly, climbing onto a rock extended over the water. _He's smart…if I don't calm down, he'll figure out I like him._ She closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. _I just need to stay calm. I'm going to be working for him, so I need to keep cool._ Once she had recomposed herself, she began to stand.

"Tsubaki, are you feeling alright?"

L's sudden voice from behind caused her to misstep and fall into the river. She screamed before she hit the water. She surfaced, and began coughing. "D-Don't do that!" she cried. She shivered, treading water.

"I'm sorry." He pulled her out of the water, and held her close. "Are you ok?"

She felt herself go red. "I'm f-fine. J-Just a little w-wet, and s-startled." She was still trembling, and leaned against L for support, closing her eyes. After a while, she said, "Let's go sit down." The two headed back to where they were sitting. Once they reached there, Dani collapsed. "C-Cold," she whispered.

L looked at her. "Tsubaki, you're freezing. Would you like to go home?"

She shook her head, and sneezed. "I'm f-fine, don't w-worry about m-me." However hard she tried, she kept trembling. He gave her a reproachful look. "R-Really!"

He began to put the food away. "You'll get sick if you stay in those wet clothes. You need to go home and change before you catch a cold." He handed her the packed backpack. "If you won't drive, I will." He started for the car.

"R-Ryuuzaki!" She picked up the bag, and ran after him. "Wait! Fine, we'll leave. Want me to drop you at the hotel?" She unlocked the car, and slid in.

"No. I can walk from your house. You should get home as soon as you can." He slipped into the seat next to her.

"Are you sure? It's no trouble, I can swing by and drop you off," she told him.

He shook his head. "I'll walk. It's fine. Fresh air is good, isn't it? Besides, I have a lot to think about, and no better time to think when you're walking, right?" He looked at her, then distantly out the window.

"If you're sure." The rest of the ride was silent. When she parked, she didn't get out of the car. "Ryuuzaki, I'm sorry."

He turned his attention to her. "Why are you sorry?" He tilted his head to one side.

"For falling into the river. I'm a total klutz, I'm sorry. We could have had a nice lunch too," she added under her breath. She sighed, and the two got out of the car.

"It's fine, we can always have lunch another day. As long as you're alright." He smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow then." He waved, and turned, headed back towards the hotel.

Dani stood outside for a few moments before turning and sneaking into the house. Her mother was in the living room, watching TV. She raced up the stairs into her room, and closed the door, clicking the lock shut behind her. She changed, and hung her wet clothes on her balcony to dry. She sat down on her bed, wrapping herself in her blanket. She noticed her calendar hanging on the opposite wall. She looked at the date; June 29th. She signed. "Almost a week," she said sadly.

Dani had gone to L and Watari's hotel room every day for the past week. Each time she had gone, L would say, "Tsubaki, are you feeling ok? You seem down." And each time, she would reply sadly, "I'm fine, don't worry about me."

She looked at her calendar again. "July 6th. Only one more day." She left her room, and went down to the kitchen. Yui was preparing lunch for the day. Dani climbed onto the counter, and lay down under the air conditioner. She sighed, stretching out.

"What's wrong, Dani?" her mother asked, looking up from her cooking.

"It's nothing," she answered, rolling on her side to face the wall. "It's just really hot today, that's all."

Yui nodded. "If you say so, dear." The room was silent.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Hanasaki."

Dani flipped over so quickly, she fell off the counter. "RYUUZAKI?!" she shouted, sitting up.

He smiled, and waved at her. "Hello!"

She scrambled up, and ran over. "What are you doing here?" she hissed.

"Hello, Ryuuzaki." Yui smiled. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. And yourself?" He turned his attention to Dani. "I just thought I would come over today. I want to see your room."

"I'm fine, thank you for asking," Yui answered.

Dani raised an eyebrow. "That's _it_? You came over because you wanted to see my room?" He nodded. "Why?"

"A room can tell a lot about a person. The last time I was here, you didn't show me," he stated simply.

She sighed, a bit annoyed. "Fine. Mom, we'll be upstairs if you need us! C'mon." She grabbed his hand, and dragged him upstairs. "It's not exactly the most interesting room in the world, but whatever." She pushed open her door.

Her room was simple. The walls were a light shade of blue, and her carpet was a darker shade. Across from the door was a set of glass doors leading out onto the balcony. On the left side of the balcony, her bed was pushed up against the wall, covered in plushies and stuffed animals. Shelves hung over her bed with books and DVDs. Her dresser was at the foot of her bed, pushed against the wall. On the opposite wall were a few posters, a tall bookshelf, and a door leading to her bathroom.

L looked around. "I imagined it to be exactly like this," he told her, walking into the middle of the room.

"Really?" She sounded amazed. "Hm. Well, now you've seen my room. I'm going to get some snacks downstairs. Is there anything you want?" she asked, standing in the doorway.

He thought for a minute. "Anything sugary, please."

"Alright, I'll see what we have." She closed the door behind her, and started down the stairs.

"You've got a _boy_ in your room?" Her brother stuck his head out of his room.

She looked up at him. "Shut up, Hikaru."

"Don't do anything _sleazy_," he teased, a huge smirk on his face.

"I said shut _UP_, Hikaru!" With a laugh, he slammed his door. "Annoying little brat." She shook her head, and entered the kitchen. "I'm just getting snacks." She opened the cabinets, and pulled out cookies and donuts. She grabbed some strawberries from her refrigerator, and took the sugar bowl before returning upstairs. She somehow managed to open the door. "Ok, I'm back." She put the snacks on her bed next to L. "What are you…IS THAT MY DIARY?!" She snatched the book from him, horrified.

L looked up, surprised. "Your birthday is tomorrow?" he asked her curiously.

"Y-Yes." She stuffed the book in the bottom of one of her drawers. "I'll have to hide that later," she muttered. "What else did you read?"

He ignored her second question. "You don't like your birthday. Is that why you've been so sad lately?"

She refused to look at him. "Yeah. I hate my birthday." Her voice was monotone.

"Why do you hate your birthday so much? I thought everyone liked their birthday. Don't you like cake?"

She paused before answering. "I've never really liked my birthday. Ever since I was little. I don't know why though, I just always have. We don't really do anything to celebrate, anyway."

There was a rustling sound as L opened the donut box. "I used to know a girl who didn't like her birthday either. People always found a way to ruin it for her."

Dani turned. "So I guess I'm not the only person who doesn't like her birth…day…" She started to laugh.

"What is it?" He looked confused.

"Y-Your face," she choked between laughs. "It's covered in powdered sugar!"

He blinked, and looked down at the half-eaten donut he was holding. "Oh." He brushed it off, and licked his fingers.

She laughed even harder. "You look like a kitty when you do that!" She fell to her knees. "You're just too weird!"

He sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at her. "You're not completely normal yourself."

She sat up. "I guess I'm not."


End file.
